Patriots reward Worcester Tech with tickets

Thursday

Dec 26, 2013 at 10:56 PMDec 27, 2013 at 9:25 AM

FOXBORO — Patriots owner Robert Kraft made Christmas very merry for the Worcester Tech high school football team. A package from Kraft arrived at the school last Friday. In it were tickets for the players and the coaching staff for the Patriots' regular-season finale Sunday against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium.

By Jennifer Toland TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

FOXBORO — Patriots owner Robert Kraft made Christmas very merry for the Worcester Tech high school football team.

A package from Kraft arrived at the school last Friday. In it were tickets for the players and the coaching staff for the Patriots' regular-season finale Sunday against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium.

Kraft visited Worcester Tech in early November because its students, including several members of the football team, and students from WPI are working on replacing the wooden footbridge in Elm Park. The new footbridge will be named in memory of Kraft's late wife, Myra Hiatt Kraft, who grew up in Worcester.

Kraft met the Worcester Tech players that day and promised them tickets to a Patriots home game if they won their next game against Oakmont Regional. The Eagles went out that Friday and downed the Spartans, 52-20.

"He made a deal with us and he lived up to it and he always does," Worcester Tech coach Jeff Lane said. "This is a great opportunity for our kids. For many of them, it will be the first and last time they get to be inside Gillette Stadium. They are really excited. We really appreciate Mr. Kraft and the Patriots doing this."

Sixty players along with Lane and his staff and several people from the school will have seats in the lower-level end zone section.

Worcester Tech players will be on the field for pregame warm-ups.

"We always tell our kids high school is a time to make memories," Lane said. "This is one of those making-memory times."

Bills undecided on QB

The Bills have not named their starting quarterback for Sunday's game.

Rookie E.J. Manuel sat out last week's game against the Dolphins with a swollen left knee. He was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, but Bills coach Doug Marrone told the Buffalo media both Manuel and Thad Lewis took reps with the first team in the session.

"E.J. looked improved today," Marrone said, "and we're still in the process of making a decision on how we're going to move forward."

Manuel made the first start of his career in the season opener against the Patriots and completed 18 of 27 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

Manuel missed four games in the middle of the season due to a right knee injury.

In all, he has made 10 starts, and is 180 for 306 for 1,972 yards, 11 TDs and nine interceptions.

"I think there has been some adversity," Marrone said in regards to Manuel's development during a conference call with the New England media. "There have been ups and downs. I think when you look at it and you take a quarterback in the amount of games that he's played and the amount of preparation that he's had, it's probably limited from that standpoint. There have been times where he's won games for us, he's put us in position to win games for us, and there have been times where he hasn't played as well as our expectation is or his own expectation is. It's a process with him and we're getting better and better each week."

This season, Lewis has made four starts, including last week against the Dolphins.

"They have some similarities," Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington said. "They're both mobile quarterbacks. We're preparing for both, watching film on both. It's never simple, but our job right now is just getting ready for both."

Ninkovich limited in drills

Defensive end Rob Ninkovich was added to the Patriots injury report. He was a limited participant in Thursday's practice due to an ankle injury.